3 women attacked Downtown, in garage and on street

Metropolitan police are warning people to be on guard after two women reported being assaulted in a Downtown parking garage on Monday morning.

The women said they were assaulted at a garage in the 100 block of New Jersey Street, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reports.

One 24-year-old woman said the attacker sexually assaulted her at the garage about 10:40 a.m. She was taken to Eskenazi Hospital, the report said.

About two hours earlier, a 28-year-old woman told police a man followed her from the garage and touched her buttocks as she rode the elevator to her apartment. She was not assaulted any further, according to the report.

A third woman reported being sexually assaulted Downtown in the 200 block of Michigan Street about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Some media outlets reported that this happened at a garage, but IMPD spokesman Officer Aaron Hamer said the woman was assaulted on the street.

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One garage manager, concerned that a woman was “robbed and almost raped," sent an email to company and city officials urging them to hire a security guard, Fox59 reported.

Downtown District Commander Phillip Burton said IMPD officers routinely patrol parking garages, but they can't be there all the time.

"Citizens must protect themselves. Just be aware of your surroundings," Burton said. "Have your keys ready. Have your head on swivel so that you area looking around and being cautious."

Burton said the department deploys additional officers during special events and on weekends. Officers on bikes patrol parks, trails and monuments where vehicles don't fit.

"In my judgment, Downtown is very safe," he said.

Officer Anthony Patterson, an IMPD survival tactics trainer, said people should put down the phones, take off the earbuds and stay alert no mater where they are.

“Pay attention to your surroundings,” Patterson told Fox59. "Look back every 10 or 15 steps if you’re by yourself, just a casual look back every once in a while.”

Patterson urged people to report anything suspicious and "“If something tells you, ‘Hey something isn’t right,’ listen to that."

“Even if they don’t mean you any harm, at least get them checked out,” Patterson told Fox59.

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Fox59 contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @vicryc.